BOONE – It’s easy to make jokes about majoring in beer.  But Appalachian State University has skipped past the punchline to turn its Enology and Viticulture program into a major economic driver in North Carolina.

The number of breweries in the state nearly tripled from 2010 to 2014, according to the North Carolina ABC Commission, helping to make brewing and beer tourism into major industries. The Brewers Association ranks North Carolina 9th in the nation for craft breweries, with an estimated economic impact that runs to more than $790 million.

North Carolina is “starting to gain some recognition nationally as a great place for craft beer,” said Margo Metzger, executive director of the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild, in an interview with the UNC Journalism School News Bureau.  The state now has 132 craft breweries with 3,000 workers, with 33 breweries operating or in planning in Charlotte and 25 underway or in the works in Raleigh.

Meanwhile, the state ranks third in the nation in wine tourism, with more than 140 wineries spread across the state. Viticulture supports more than 7,600 jobs and produces more than $1.26 billion in economic impact, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce.

That’s why App State has worked hard to build a world-class degree program in fermentation sciences, along with laboratory services and statewide workshops to help support a growing niche for vintners and brewers. Winemakers can submit soil samples, have grapes analyzed for quality and consistency, and attend workshops on fermentation, aging, and quality control. Brewers can get expert feedback on their hops, the brewing process, and even taste-testing advice.

“A lot of our early students have gone into the production side, and some have gone into the quality assurance side, doing lab work,” said Dr. Brett Taubman, who teaches analytical and brewing chemistry, in an interview last year with NC Beer Buzz. “The students who have graduated so far have had no problem finding jobs in the industry.”

Besides the advanced chemistry of fermentation, students also take courses in marketing and business, as well as study the social and ethical implications of wine and beer consumption.

The North Carolina Community College System is also doing its part for the state’s beer-brewing reputation. Last year, a consortium of three campuses launched the country’s first Craft Beverage Institute.  With degree pathways offered at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College, Blue Ridge Community College and Rockingham Community College, the program will draw on the different strengths of each school.

With classes in specialized agriculture to advanced microbiology to marketing and business management, the Craft Beverage Institute has already proven a hit with students. There were students sleeping in tents before class registration last January.

“This is exactly the kind of responsiveness to the local economy that you want to see,” said policy analyst Mary Alice McCarthy, speaking to Inside Higher Ed about the innovative program. “This is where community colleges can add so much value.”

It’s also where partnerships with the University system come in especially handy. Students who complete the community college program in brewing are eligible for easy transfer into App State’s Enology and Viticulture degree.

“We were the first stand-alone fermentation sciences program in the country,” said Dr. Taubman. “Hopefully we’ve been a leader in that.”

North Carolina’s burgeoning craft beer industry and the institutions that serve it aren’t confined to the mountains.

With at least 21 craft brewers now doing business in and around Raleigh and five more in the planning stage, Wake Technical Community College saw its brewing program – modeled on courses at Blue Ridge Community College in Brevard – explode from 20 students in 2014 to more than 100 last summer.  Local brewers want to be confident they can hire trained workers, so they provide both instructors and internships.

“The only way we’ve been able to do that is through positive feedback from the local brewers – and they’ve been very supportive,” said Ben Wagoner, supervisor of the Wake Tech program.  “It’s a growing industry.  We’re seeing new ones all the time, and the ones that are here are expanding.”